Archaeologists discover royal castle under prison basketball court

Underneath the basketball court of a prison in Gloucester, England, is a structure that once housed royalty. When archaeologists recently investigated the prison site prior to new development, they unearthed the 12-foot-wide wall of the keep of a Norman castle dating back to 1110 A.D., just 60 centimeters beneath the court.

The castle, which is believed to have been the first in Gloucester, is built of stone and once had three chapels, two drawbridges, and royal chambers for the king and queen, Gloucester Citizen reports. Archaeologists expect other parts of the castle to be underneath other buildings at the prison, though those sections may not be as intact as the keep wall. Gloucester Citizen reports that the castle served as a city jail for 200 years before it was toppled in 1780 to build a prison on the site.

Archaeologists say the castle is similar in architectural style to the Tower of London and the Canterbury cathedral. "It would have been a powerful symbol of Norman architecture," Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology, said. "As you came to Gloucester you would have seen the cathedral and castle, which is representative of how important the city was in Norman Britain."

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